Hydration is obviously a vital component in order to perform at your best when working out. However, there are many different ways to hydrate during workouts and exercise, which often leaves people confused about what they should specifically drink to stay hydrated.
Is just water ok? Or are sports drinks better due to their inclusion of electrolytes and other substances?
In this review, we’ll take a look at a supplement drink mix that’s designed to be the ultimate form of hydration, Ultima Replenisher. We’ll see just how effective this drink mix is for hydration and optimal performance so you can find out if it’s truly worth the price in this Ultima Replenisher review.
Ready? Let’s get started!
About Ultima Replenisher
Ultima Replenisher is a sports hydration drink designed to be taken when you exercise/workout. It includes a number of electrolytes and trace minerals with the idea that, since these substances are lost through sweat during exercise, they need to be replenished for continued performance at an optimal level.
Ultima Replenisher Benefits
So, the main benefit of Ultima Replenisher is that you will stay optimally hydrated during your workouts, leading to better performance, physically and mentally. They include what they call the “Mighty 6 Macro Electrolytes” along with trace minerals in order to keep your muscles, central nervous system, joints, and tendons functioning at the highest possible level. In turn, they say this will lead to better performance and recovery.
From an initial glance, this makes sense. However, to truly see if Ultima Replenisher is an effective hydration product, we need to take a look at the specific ingredients. And if you keep reading, I do just that below!
Ultima Replenisher Ingredients
Ultima Replenisher contains 9 ingredients: The “Mighty 6 Macroelectrolytes” (listed first) and then 3 other supporting substances.
- Calcium (65mg)
- Potassium (250mg)
- Phosphorus (70mg)
- Magnesium (100mg)
- Sodium (55mg)
- Chloride (78mg)
Supporters:
- Vitamin C (100mg)
- Zinc (1mg)
- Manganese (0.2mg)
Before delving into the ingredients, themselves, I want to provide a brief overview of electrolytes and their role in exercise.
When you exercise, you sweat in order to maintain optimal body temperature. And sweat contains water and electrolytes, so you lose these substances during exercise. Electrolytes are minerals that have an electrical charge and, thus, they have an influence on fluid balance and cellular function, among many other physiological processes.
If you don’t take in enough water and electrolytes, you can become dehydrated, which will lead to many problems. For example, dehydration can lead to dizziness, headaches, cramping, and fatigue, among others. This is why maintaining adequate fluid and electrolyte balance is vital.
Calcium
So, the first electrolyte they include is calcium. Calcium is important for muscular contraction and for heartbeat rhythm. And when you use up a lot of calcium during exercise, the parathyroid hormone is activated to pull calcium from the skeleton into the blood to keep it balanced. Thus, if you’re not getting adequate calcium, your chance of bone problems increases.
However, supplementary calcium doesn’t appear to provide much benefit for athletic performance, unless you take very high doses (800mg or more). Even still, lower doses may decrease the risk for calcium depletion during exercise and could provide a little boost.
Potassium
Potassium is another mineral important for muscular contraction. It also is important for heartbeat regulation and in sending nerve impulses throughout the body. It also has a relationship with sodium in the sodium-potassium pump, which is related to muscular contraction and other factors. When you exercise, you lose a lot of potassium through sweat, so it’s vital to take in enough of this micronutrient. This is especially true since many people consume a lot of sodium, which increases the risk for suboptimal potassium.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus has a number of roles in exercise, such as being important for energy demands in muscular function, and it assists in oxygen delivery to the muscles. Phosphorus might also help prevent fatigue and provide you with enough energy for your workouts.
Research shows that phosphate supplementation with high doses of sodium phosphate (around 4g per day) is beneficial for speed, power, and endurance, though usually in elite or advanced athletes. Also, since this dose is much higher than what is contained in Ultima Replenisher, it likely won’t have much of an effect. It could, however, provide an extra boost to individuals who are working out very hard for a long period of time.
Magnesium
Magnesium is absolutely vital for so many things in the body. Related to exercise, it is important for muscular contraction and strength and to help prevent cramps. It also provides an anti-inflammatory effect, which is beneficial when exercising. Lastly, it is involved in many aspects of the nervous system, including the conduction of nerve impulses.
Based on the research, 300 to 500mg of supplementary magnesium can improve athletic performance and reduce fatigue and cortisol. Magnesium supplementation is especially important for people exercising intensely.
Sodium
One of the most well-known minerals, sodium, is also lost in sweat. You may even have guessed this if you, unfortunately, tasted your sweat by incident…rather salty. Sodium is involved in maintaining fluid balance in your cells, plays a role in muscular contraction, and helps to transmit nerve impulses throughout your body. As noted above, it also has a relationship with potassium.
While the research is somewhat inconsistent on sodium and exercise, it is known that sodium supplementation is particularly beneficial when exercising in hot temperatures and/or for long periods of time.
Chloride
The last mineral in the “Mighty 6” is Chloride. Its main role is to help maintain fluid balance both within and outside the cells. Chloride is a unique ingredient for Ultima Replenisher; you won’t find it in NF Sports Hydrate, Rae Hydration Drops, or many other hydration supplements. This lack of Chloride in most hydration supplements may be due to the knowledge that most people get plenty of Chloride from their diets, additional intake from supplementation is unlikely to help.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is probably the vitamin that everyone has heard of. The major role it plays in exercise is to help counter oxidative stress that occurs. In other words, vitamin C acts as a powerful anti-oxidant, potentially leading to better recovery.
But again, supplementation is probably not going to do much unless your diet is lacking. Athletes don’t appear to need much more (if any) vitamin C than the general population. People undergoing significant amounts of stress, however, do need more vitamin C, so in these cases, it is beneficial.
Zinc
Zinc is a trace mineral involved in immune and reproductive health. It also has an anti-oxidant role somewhat similar to vitamin C. However, any studies finding a benefit for zinc on strength, hormonal health, or athletic performance typically use 20 to 30mg, which is considerably more than the 1mg included in Ultima Replenisher. That being said, 1mg is still around 10 percent of the daily value for zinc, so it could be a way to help you reach your needs, especially if you take multiple servings.
Manganese
Finally, Ultima Replenisher contains manganese, another trace mineral. Like zinc, it also plays an anti-oxidant role by helping to detoxify free radicals. And you build up more free radicals when engaging in intense exercise, so manganese supplementation could be used to help reach your daily intake goals, especially if you have risk factors for depletion, such as high stress and very intense workouts.
Does Ultima Replenisher Work?
Based on the ingredients in Ultima Replenisher, there are definitely certain groups of people who can benefit from it, yet there are also some groups who won’t see much of a benefit.
The ingredients in Ultima Replenisher are all well-researched and known to support optimal hydration. All of the electrolytes have roles in muscular contraction, nerve impulse conduction, heartbeat regulation, and fluid balance, among other things. Thus, they are related to all aspects of physical performance and are important for helping you perform at your best. You can expect a decreased risk for cramping, headaches, fatigue, and other things that sometimes sideline optimal performance.
Ideally, the amounts of some of the electrolytes, minerals, and vitamin C would be higher, but they still provide a significant amount of the daily value, which could make it easier for people to reach their goals. This is especially true for people more at risk for dehydration, including high-intensity athletes, people on a ketogenic diet, and people who fast.
If you’re a sedentary person, you’re unlikely to find much benefit from this product. But it’s definitely worth considering if you’re a hard-charging athlete or in the dietary categories previously mentioned.
Who is Ultima Replenisher Best for?
This leads me to the next point about who would be most likely to benefit from it. So, the people who would receive the most benefit are those who are at risk for electrolyte depletion and/or people who undergo a lot of physical activity and stress.
Specifically, this product could be an effective supplement for hard-charging athletes, as well as individuals who are doing ketogenic diets or fasting.
(I also want to note that it is better than some other sports drinks, such as Gatorade and Powerade, because it doesn’t contain any artificial flavors or sugars. Sugar actually can be beneficial when exercising, but it is better to take it in a healthier form.)
Athletes would benefit from this product simply because it is a more efficient way to drive in electrolytes and minerals to the body. If you exercise really hard and for a really long time, you likely need all the help you can get to replace electrolytes and other substances, so Ultima Replenisher could be an easy way to do that.
Also, ketogenic diets tend to be lower in electrolytes than other diets, so it’d be worth considering electrolyte supplementation in this case. Supplementation may be particularly beneficial when transitioning into the keto diet to prevent the pretty common “keto flu.”
Lastly, if you’re fasting, you may want to consider supplementing with Ultima Nutrition. When you go without food for long periods of time, you obviously miss out on the nutrients contained in the food, including electrolytes. Thus, supplementation might make fasting less of a challenge, especially if you want to exercise in a fasted state.
Claims vs. Reality
The makers of Ultima Replenisher are definitely right when they say that the body uses electrolytes and trace minerals when exercising, and that a lot of these are lost through sweat. However, they claim that it’s impossible to achieve peak performance without replacing electrolytes while you work out. Now, that statement isn’t entirely true, but it does have some truth to it. Mainly, athletes who work out at a high intensity for a very long period of time pretty much need to supplement in order to reduce the risk of becoming depleted, especially since some electrolytes can be rapidly depleted.
For the average Joe that isn’t under much stress and doesn’t move around much, this product won’t do anything. But for athletes (the people that this product is primarily marketed towards), there are likely some benefits. With this information so far, it is up to you to judge whether or not this product is right for your needs and goals.
Is Ultima Replenisher Safe?
Since Ultima Replenisher simply contains vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes, all in relatively small amounts, it should be very safe to use. There really aren’t many side effects to be concerned with. The only concern is if you take many servings of this product; this could potentially lead to too high concentrations of certain minerals in the blood, but this is unlikely to occur.
Also, the rest of the ingredients are clean and safe, such as stevia sweetener and natural flavors, so these aren’t concerning either.
Where to Buy Ultima Replenisher
Ultima Replenisher is available for purchase from the official Ultima Replenisher website here.
There are actually a number of ways you can purchase Ultima Replenisher since it comes in packets or canisters. You can either get a variety pack, 20 servings of stick packs, a 30-serving canister, or a 90-serving canister. We will detail the pricing of each option below.
Ultima Replenisher Products and Pricing:
- Mocktini Variety Pack (18 serving stickpacks) – $24.99
- 20 Serving Stickpacks – $20.99
- 30 Serving Canisters – $20.99
- 90 Serving Canisters – $41.99
Ultima also offers a free trial pack if you enter your email address, meaning you can try before you buy. Additionally, if you really like Ultima Replenisher, there is a subscribe and save 10% option available.
With the variety of sizing and pricing options, and the added bonus of an available trial pack, we say Ultima Replenisher is definitely worth a try!